How To Install DSE's Minitub Kit

1/30As is often the case with lengthy projects, the fruits of your labor involve WOT, smoke, and laying some big-time patch. Pissed-off neighbors are an added bonus.

Everyone digs a big set of meats. They make potential adversaries submissively quiver down to their ball joints. They quietly hint at a massive stockpile of lethal munitions packed under the hood. And as long as they don't poke too far out of the wheelwells, they look great. If you're not down with Pro Street, the key to tastefully achieving maximum contact patch is minitubbing your street machine. However, the extensive custom fab work it requires often forces guys into a life of wacky wheel offsets and grotesquelyly protruding rubber. Fortunately, that's no longer the case for '70-'81 Camaro/Firebird F-body owners with the release of Detroit Speed & Engineering's new minitub kit.

With a team of former GM engineers at its disposal, DSE is best known for its cutting-edge suspension systems for first-gen F-bodies. The company has expanded its product line to include second-gens, and plans are in the works to develop parts for GM A-bodies as well. The minitub kit includes a pair of Deep Tubs, steel framerail closeout panels, upper shock mounts, offset shackles, new spring pockets, leaf-spring pads, shock plates, an upper crossmember, an instructional DVD, and all necessary hardware.

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Be forewarned that this isn't a job for the novice, or someone who merely has a tack weld or two under his belt. A first-timer can expect to invest 40-50 hours installing the minitubs. Even so, DSE says the job would take three to four times as long without the luxury of its prefabbed kit, which equates to a big stack of C-notes if you're paying someone else for the labor. Likewise, DSE has made great efforts to simplify the installation process as much as possible. "We have invested a lot of time into making the DVD understandable for both professional shops and backyard warriors," says Kyle Tucker of DSE. "Pictures and instruction manuals help, but the DVD clearly illustrates every step along the way." Our cameras were on hand as the DSE crew installed its new tubs on Sriyantha Weerasuria's '73 Trans Am.

3/30DSE's comprehensive minitub kit retails for $1,699. Optional drop springs and matching rear shocks are available for an extra $600.